(Ann) Sarah Walker
Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology
Sarah has worked with the Modernising Medical Microbiology consortium since April 2006, originally on secondment from the MRC Clinical Trials Unit, but part-time with the University of Oxford from December 2011. Her work includes the design and analysis of studies investigating the epidemiology and management of infectious diseases (including healthcare-associated infections) and antimicrobial resistance, with a particular focus on 'big data' from routinely collected electronic health records. She co-leads the “Modernising Medical Microbiology” consortium translating new whole genome sequencing and informatics approaches into microbiology practice and service with Professors Crook and (Tim) Peto.
Sarah has been at the forefront of translating advances in genetic sequencing into microbiology services, and linking this sequence data to electronic health records for large-scale epidemiology. She was instrumental in obtaining ethical and regulatory approvals for a large anonymised linked database of hospital admissions and microbiology/laboratory data (Infections in Oxfordshire Research Database, IORD), and now leads analyses investigating aspects of epidemiology and management of infectious diseases in IORD as Chief Investigator. She is the Director of the National Institutes of Health Research Health (NIHR) Protection Research Unit on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections at Oxford, and Lead of the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre Modernising Medical Microbiology and Big Infection Diagnostics Theme. She has co-authored over 450 publications (H-index 95).
Most recently, she is the Chief Investigator and Academic Lead for the National COVID-19 Infection Survey, a collaboration between the University of Oxford and the Office for National Statistics, investigating prevalence and incidence of current and past infection with SARS-CoV-2.
Recent publications
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Machine learning and clinician predictions of antibiotic resistance in Enterobacterales bloodstream infections
Yuan K. et al, (2025), Journal of Infection, 90, 106388 - 106388
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Addition of Macrolide Antibiotics for Hospital Treatment of Community-Acquired Pneumonia
Wei J. et al, (2024), The Journal of Infectious Diseases
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Validation of the Baseline Recurrence Risk in Cellulitis (BRRISC) score and the added impact of acute clinical response
Cross ELA. et al, (2024)
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Assessing skin temperature over time in a cohort of lower limb cellulitis: A methods comparison study
Cross ELA. et al, (2024)
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Corrigendum to “No evidence of difference in mortality with amoxicillin versus co-amoxiclav for hospital treatment of community-acquired pneumonia” [J Infect 88 (2024) 106161]
Wei J. et al, (2024), Journal of Infection, 89, 106361 - 106361